मनो वाव वाचो भूयो यथा वै द्वे वामलके द्वे वा कोले द्वौ वाक्षौ मुष्टिरनुभवत्येवं वाचं च नाम च मनोऽनुभवति स यदा मनसा मनस्यति मन्त्रानधीयीयेत्यथाधीते कर्माणि कुर्वीयेत्यथ कुरुते पुत्रांश्च पशूंश्चेच्छेयेत्यथेच्छत इमं च लोकममुं चेच्छेयेत्यथेच्छते मनो ह्यात्मा मनो हि लोको मनो हि ब्रह्म मन उपास्स्वेति ॥ ७.३.१ ॥
In plain words
"Mind is greater than speech. As a closed fist holds two myrobalans, or two jujubes, or two nuts, so the mind holds both speech and name. When a man makes up his mind to learn the sacred formulas, then he learns them; to do rites, then he does them; to wish for sons and cattle, then he wishes for them; to wish for this world and that world, then he wishes for them. For the mind is the self, the mind is the world, the mind is Brahman. Worship the mind."
The commentators
Chāndogyopaniṣadbhāṣyam· bhāṣya
मनः मनस्यनविशिष्टमन्तःकरणं वाचः भूयः । तद्धि मन- स्यनव्यापारवत् वाचं वक्तव्ये प्रेरयति । तेन वाक् मनस्यन्त- र्भवति । यच्च यस्मिन्नन्तर्भवति तत्तस्य व्यापकत्वात् ततो भूयो भवति । यथा वै लोके द्वे वा आमलके फले द्वे वा कोले बदरफले द्वौ वा अक्षौ विभीतकफले मुष्टिरनुभवति मुष्टिस्ते फले व्याप्नोति मुष्टौ हि ते अन्तर्भवतः, एवं वाचं च नाम च आमलकादिवत् मनोऽनुभवति । स यदा पुरुषः यस्मिन्काले मनसा अन्तःकरणेन मनस्यति, मनस्यनं विवक्षाबुद्धिः, कथं
In plain words
The mind is the internal organ, distinct from speech and greater than it. Endowed with mental activity, it prompts speech toward whatever is to be spoken, so that speech remains contained within the mind. Whatever is contained within something else is smaller than that container because the container pervades it. Just as in daily life a closed fist holds two amalakas, two jujubes, or two vibhitaka seeds—pervading them because they lie within it—so the mind encompasses speech and name just like those fruits. When a person uses the mind, the inner organ, to intend thought—which is the impulse to express—how...
Close to the Sanskrit
Mind is distinct from speech as the internal organ, being greater than speech. For that, possessing mental activity, impels speech toward what is to be spoken. Therefore speech is included in the mind. And whatever is included in something, because of its all-pervasiveness, becomes greater than that. Just as in the world two amalaka fruits, or two jujube fruits, or two vibhitaka seeds a fist experiences—the fist pervades those two fruits, for they are included in the fist—thus speech and name, like the amalaka and others, the mind experiences. When a person, at which time with the mind, with the internal organ, contemplates—mental activity being the desire to speak—how...